ZAGREB, September 6, 2018 – Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenković said at the opening of Croatia’s Consulate in Livno, southwestern Bosnia and Herzegovina, that the most important Croatia’s strategic interests were relations with Bosnia and Herzegovina and the equality of the Croat people in the country.
“With the Consulate in Livno, we are rounding up Croatia’s diplomatic network in Bosnia and Herzegovina, the country that is strategically Croatia’s most important state interest, friendly country whose territorial integrity we respect and in which the Croats are a constituent people,” Plenković said in Livno.
He said that opening the consulate in Livno was yet another confirmation of Croatia’s strong commitment to the development of friendly, close, partner and strategic relations with Bosnia and Herzegovina. “We want everyone living in Bosnia and Herzegovina to feel good there, that the rights of the Croat people are guaranteed at all levels,” Plenković said.
He also said that Croatia’s trade with Bosnia amounted to more than two billion euro and that Croatia’s overall investments in Bosnia so far amount to 1.2 billion euro. “Our political and bilateral relations are dynamic and we support all aspects of bilateral cooperation, notably Bosnia’s reforms efforts and its European journey,” Plenković said.
The consulate in Livno is Croatia’s sixth diplomatic office in Bosnia and Herzegovina, alongside Croatia’s Embassy in Sarajevo, and consulates in Mostar, Tuzla, Banja Luka and Vitez.
Plenković said the role of the Livno area was particularly important during the war in the preservation of Bosnia’s integrity, but also in helping and saving Croatia, namely Dalmatia.
Plenković opened the consulate together with the Croat member of the Bosnia and Herzegovina collective Presidency, Dragan Čović.
Addressing the press, Plenković said that opening the consulate in Livno was exceptionally important, saying that it would contribute to connecting Croatia with Croats, Croat citizens in Bosnia and Herzegovina, and with Bosnia and Herzegovina.
He also said that one of Croatia’s strategic interests was to further develop relations with Bosnia and Herzegovina and help Bosnian Croats gain the equal status as the other two constituent peoples in the country.
Čović said that the Croatian government and Prime Minister Plenković were giving hope to Bosnia-Herzegovina Croats that they will be able to obtain the equal status.
